Diffusing research-based products and technologies through the airwave, MMSU President, Dr. Shirley Agrupis, shared in a live interview the benefits of MMSU’s Black Garlic Technology and the prospects of the Garlic Niche Center in the Region (NICER).

This sharing was aired via the Eat Connect Na portion hosted by Ms. Bella Surara and co-hosted by Mr. Raymard Guttierez of DZEC Radyo Agila Manila this November 7, 2021.

Housing one of the recently launched Niche Centers in the Region (NICER) by the DOST-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), MMSU is home to the first NICER in Region 1, the Garlic and Other Agri-Food Condiments R&D Center.

“With this center, we aim to uplift the lives of our garlic farmers through research and development as we take the lead in revitalizing the garlic industry of the country”, President Agrupis stressed.  

By virtue of House Bill 8109 recently approved by the Congress, the Province of Ilocos Norte is declared as the Garlic Capital of the Philippines. The province is known as the top producing province in the country, producing 55.7% or 4,161 metric tons in 2019 based on the Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture. Some 1,880 hectares and 759.9 harvested area are allocated annually for the production of garlic in the whole province.

“The Ilocos raw garlic is known for its unique and strong taste and scent compared to other garlic from elsewhere”, Dr. Agrupis shared during the interview.  While garlic has been known as traditional medicine for several conditions linked to the blood system and heart, including atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), high cholesterol, heart attack, coronary heart disease, and hypertension, recent studies also show garlic as a dietary supplement in attempts to prevent various forms of cancer such as lung cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, stomach cancer, rectal cancer, and colon cancer. Allicin, a compound which accounts for garlic’s pungent odor, is what makes garlic such a healthful and potent vegetable.  However, as a volatile compound, it decomposes into simpler molecules in less than an hour when cooked, crushed, aged, or processed.

From recent studies in the University, it was found that the major chemical constituents of Ilocos raw garlic such as protein, sodium, calcium, and zinc were higher when compared to the raw garlic from Japan. Giving this an edge among other garlic varieties, processing it into black garlic yields enhanced benefits. “Processing a raw garlic at a controlled high temperature and moisture for a prolonged period of time up to 30 days initiates a non-enzymatic browning process called Maillard reaction leading to a new a product, black garlic (BG), with higher nutrient and bioactive compounds than its original composition. Studies have shown that through Maillard reaction, a sulfur-containing amino acid, S-allyl-cystein (SAC), a potent anti-oxidant, increased tremendously during the process. Compared to allicin, SAC is more stable and absorbed more easily by the body and greatly accounts for the enhanced bioactivity of black garlic. 

Dr. Agrupis also shared the priority projects of the Garlic and Other Agri-Food Condiments R&D Center in contribution to the increasing the local garlic’s competitiveness in the market and developing a successful chain for garlic production, including processing and storage facilities. For garlic, the center prioritizes the 1) Collection, Characterization, Conservation, and Improvement of Garlic Genetic Resources in the Philippines; 2) Improvement of Garlic Productivity through Integrated Crop Management System; 3) Development and Evaluation of Village Level Low-Cost Storage Structure for Garlic; 4) Enhanced Usability and Profitability of Garlic through Product Development; and 5) Value Chain Analysis of Garlic in the Philippines. Technologies to be developed from these component projects include integrated crop management (ICM) for garlic, disease forecasting system, low-cost curing and storage facility, and a standard protocol for producing and processing black garlic.

 “When we compute for the profit of our garlic growers, we can really the potential of the black garlic in revitalizing our garlic industry. Valuing our garlic bulbs at PhP 150 per kilogram or at least 11 pesos without depreciation costs for the equipment, we can sell 100-gram pack at PhP 150 pesos. From that valuation, we can see around PhP 1,300 profit for our farmers to upgrade their income”, Dr. Agrupis shared.

Projects forwarded by the center aims for the holistic development and revitalization of the garlic industry in Norte and in the Ilocos Region. While only launched this May, 2021, the Garlic and Other Agri-Food Condiments R&D Center carries the humble accomplishments of the MMSU Garlic Research Center which initiated studies on the adaptability trial of garlic varieties in Regions 1,2, and CAR for possible expansion and the determination of appropriate garlic variety in the agroclimatic conditions of the areas, the multiplication of clean planting materials through tissue culture and bulbil production, and initial endeavours on black garlic production.

President Agrupis is one of the two guests of the day in this healthy lifestyle portion of the station, along with Dr. Cecilia Lazarte, the Director of the Institute of Herbal Medicine of the National Institute of Health of UP Manila, sharing on the benefits of lagundi.

Shared via FB Live, viewers of the airing continue to add to the 22 shares and 959 views of the knowledge sharing. The sharing was initiated as an offshoot of the recent launching of the DOST’s NICER program.

For more information about the center, visit: https://extension.mmsu.edu.ph/news/show/227/mmsus-garlic-rd-center-attracts-public-interest

For the radio interview, click: https://www.facebook.com/RadyoAgila1062/videos/621127422656004/

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